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Bus Driver, The

by: Encyclopaedia Britannica Films

Publication date: 1946

Usage: Public Domain

Topics: Transportation: Bus

Digitizing sponsor: N/A

Father and son travel by bus from New York to Pittsburgh in the days when bus travel still attracted elite passengers.

Shotlist

DEPICTS A TRIP TAKEN BY A YOUNG BOY & HIS FATHER FROM NEW YORK TO PITTSBURGH. SHOWS HOW THE BUS DRIVER MEETS DRIVING HAZARDS, SERVES HIS PASSENGERS & KEEPS HIS BUS IN CIRCULATION.

¥ 2:10:01:14- 2:10:21:29
Two driving POV shots. The first is from behind the bus driver's shoulder as he pulls out of the city station. We see cars, people, and buildings through the large square windshield. He turns a corner, and there's a cut to another perspective. We are behind another bus on a crowded city (New York) street.

worth noting: Short but nice driving POV (we can see the top of the bus's large steering wheel) as we drive down a thin, two-lane highway. Cars and trucks come towards us in the other lane.(2:11:00:04- 2:11:07:16)

¥ 2:12:16:00- 2:12:31:14
Excellent shot from the bus driver's perspective. He sees cars behind him in his rear view mirror. We see these cars in his window as well as the countryside going by. Surveillance shot.

¥ 2:17:31:00- 2:17:42:19
Two shots entering Pittsburgh. We first view the bus making its way onto a bridge from which we see industrial Pittsburgh (smoke stacks, mills, etc...). There's a cut to driving POVÑwe look to the side of the bridge to view the "valley" of steel mills and factories.
BUSES DRIVERS TRIPS TRAVEL BOYS FATHERS VACATIONS CITIES COUNTRY TRANSPORTATION WORKERS TRANSIT ROADS HIGHWAYS CHILDREN NEW YORK CITY CITIES PITTSBURGH PENNSYLVANIA LABOR COURTESY SERVICE WORKERS LABOR
Danger Lurks Safety
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Addeddate: 2002-07-16 00:00:00

Closed captioning: no

Collectionid: 00080

Color: B&W

Country: United States

Identifier: BusDrive1946

Identifier-storj: jvyyekmwv3qut3h35vdpab6xqo7q/archive.org/BusDrive1946

Numeric_id: 213

Proddate: 1946

Run time: 10:02

Sound: Sd

Type: MovingImage

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Reviews

Reviewer: AntonioFP45 - - March 13, 2013
Subject: Overall

Not bad and very typical of a descriptive transportation topic filmed aimed at elementary school kids. Of course this was a very different time and, sad to say, many of today's kids would prefer to ride in a minivan with video screens and wifi connections.

Reviewer: Steve Carras - - April 22, 2009
Subject: Get on that BUS!!

A great revisiting the great age of stick shift, silversided, and art deco highway buses.

Reviewer: Erik Smith - - September 1, 2008
Subject: Pennsylvania Station

Interesting to note the fact that this bus journey begins at the bus depot across the street from New York's Pennsylvania Station -- you can see it out the windshield as the bus driver pulls out of the driveway and into the street.

Reviewer: Pithecanthropus - - August 27, 2006
Subject: For this we gave up trains?

Actually it's an interesting look at what bus travel was like around 1950. As the last reviewer suggested, the narrator is definitely directing his remarks to young children, though probably not as young as 2. My guess is that it was shown in public schools, probably to kids from grades K to 3.

I think the point of why we watch films like this is the power they have to illustrate certain aspects of life many years ago, rather than how "good" the film is. This isn't a good film, but I'd give it 5 stars just for the illustrative value. I can't do that though due to the poor presentation and annoying editing.

BTW contains a good example of what sounds like a Joisey or Brooklyn accent, and even the narrator shows traces of it at times.

I think this film is also illustrative of the beginning of the golden age of bus travel(at least for the bus lines if not always for the passengers). The long distance carriers benefited from a highway system just beginning to see major improvements, as well as from the decline of railroad passenger service, and the fact that most families still had only one car if any. The bus was everyone's second car.

Reviewer: ERD - - November 8, 2005
Subject: Interesting in 1946

Viewers most remember this film was made in 1946.(Shortly after W.W.II, when traveling had been limited.)
Children weren't as sophisticated as now. Taking a long trip on a bus was exciting to them. I feel
"The Bus Driver" did an excellent job for its time. It was well filmed & directed.

Reviewer: transitfan - - August 28, 2005
Subject: Could be better, but has its merits...

Something of a dry delivery to this one, but I'm guessing that elementary school kids of the era were just interested to see the buses and the open road, and didn't need an animated character to make this appealing, but here again, I could be mistaken.

Neat look at long distance bus travel of the era though, and the far more meager road network available at the time to travel long distances. First leg of the trip is a journey from New York to Harrisburg, PA, apparently along US Route 22, then Mr. Fisher gets relieved, and the new driver gets to drive the bus to Pittsburgh along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, then regarded as one of the most ultramodern roads in the country. Lots of neat shots and runbys in the countryside, and a few quick shots in the metropolitan areas make up for a rather ordinary narration, and Mr. Fisher's rather uncomfortable appearance in front of the camera!

Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - August 4, 2004
Subject: No Romance or Singing, Fortunately, on This Bus Ride

Straightforward Encyclopedia Britannica film for kids about drivers of long-distance buses. We see a boy and his father go on a long-distance bus ride, and a narrator explains what is happening. About as gripping as, well, a long-distance bus ride.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: ***.

Reviewer: trafalgar - - April 7, 2004
Subject: The bus where nothing happened

A bus trip where absolutely nothing happens is described by a narrator who sounds like he's talking to 2 year olds. If you have recently been lobotomized, this will be just what you're looking for. Also the film has quite a few annoying splices, but that almost makes it better.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - February 18, 2003
Subject: Get On The Bus

Back in the old days, it MEANT something to take the bus from city to city. At least, that's what this film is trying to tell us. In this Encylopedia "We see no need to have music" Brittanica film. A young boy and his father (?) start the trip from an undisclosed city on the bus, soon they're on this way too narrow highway missing other vehicles by THIS much. We pass by pretty country, have a stop-over at another city, the bus drivers change, then they're off again (you're hoping the trip ends right there) soon they reach their (undisclosed) destination city, and the film ends. Yes, it's as exciting as it sounds.
One bonus point though, I have a rumble seat, I can plug my computer's bass into my seat. It was kind of wild to have the bus rumbling underneath me. Kinda like I was there...

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